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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27957176">A Wonderful Christmastime</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan'>flowerfan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Glee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Christmas moment, Fluff, Holiday, Klaine Advent 2020, Love, M/M, married!klaine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:41:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27957176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes being up in the middle of the night together is an act of love.  A moment of holiday peace for Kurt and Blaine.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Wonderful Christmastime</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic incorporates the first seven words of Klaine Advent 2020 (abashed (a classic fic word if ever there was one), brake, careless, dispensable, event, farm, and gray).  It also marks my sixth (non-consecutive) year of writing for Klaine Advent!</p><p>The inspiration for the story came from a conversation with mildly-allergic-to-life on tumblr and is a gift for her, but she doesn’t have an A03 account so I can’t link her.  Thanks also to my wonderful beta, perry_avenue.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blaine snuggles deeper into the blankets and turns over, reaching out to pull Kurt against him – it’s chilly on this December night, and he knows Kurt’s feet will be cold, but he doesn’t mind.  Sadly, his hand flops onto their soft flannel sheets without finding his husband.  Moments later, Blaine’s half-asleep brain registers the sound of his Kurt's voice through the monitor and he smiles despite the late hour.</p><p>He drags himself out of bed and steps across the narrow hall to Taylor’s room.  Kurt is lying on the floor next to her crib, singing quietly with careless grace, one hand resting gently on their baby’s back.</p><p>“Hey,” Blaine whispers.  “How long have you been in here?”</p><p>Kurt twists his head to look at Blaine.  “Most of the first act, and part of the second, but I skipped some of the songs.”  He glances at their daughter and back at Blaine.  “<i>Legally Blonde</i> is inspirational, but not entirely age appropriate.”</p><p>“Come to bed, you must be exhausted.”</p><p>“I can’t,” Kurt says.  “Every time I take my hand off her back she wakes up.”</p><p>“Bring her with you,” Blaine says.  Since they brought their newborn home six months ago this has been the topic of constant debate in their house, and with everyone they know, who all apparently feel qualified to share their opinion on how to get babies to sleep.  They waver back and forth between keeping her in bed with them and trying to get her to sleep on her own, and various compromises in between.  (And as they told Tina, who insisted that their very lack of routine was the problem, maybe as long as the three of them are happy and healthy she should just keep her opinions to herself.)</p><p>“You have rehearsal all day tomorrow,” Kurt says.  “You need to rest.  I can stay here, I don’t mind.”  Kurt has built himself a little nest on the floor out of a spare quilt and throw pillows, and he’s wearing his fluffy slippers on his ever icy feet, but he still can’t be all that comfortable.</p><p>“I’ll sleep better with the two of you in our bed,” Blaine replies.  Kurt shrugs, and accepts Blaine’s hand as he reaches down to help Kurt up.</p><p>As predicted, Taylor blinks her gray-blue eyes open as soon as Kurt stops touching her, but Blaine scoops her out of bed and nuzzles her little face before she can make a noise.  When he looks up, Kurt is gazing fondly at the two of them.</p><p>“She has your eyelashes,” Kurt says, and Blaine grins.</p><p>“She’s a baby, they all have eyelashes like this.”</p><p>“That’s a lie, she has the best eyelashes of any baby ever.  And she’s definitely going to have your enviable curls,” Kurt goes on, touching the still wispy dark hair on their daughter’s head.</p><p>“If she does, you’re in charge of hair care.”</p><p>“As if I’d let you get your gel anywhere near her.”  It’s a running joke, but Blaine is serious – his hair looks so much better now that he let Kurt take charge of his products.  Of course, these days he’s lucky to catch a shower before running off to rehearsal, let alone have time to style his hair, but that’s another story.  Taylor comes first, and no amount of bedhead is going to change that.</p><p>Back in their own room they slide under the covers, carefully settling Taylor between the two of them, Kurt reaching across to lay his hand on Blaine’s waist.  There’s a soft reddish glow to the light, coming in from the Christmas decorations in their living room.  It feels peaceful.</p><p>“So what made you choose <i>Legally Blonde</i> to sing tonight?”  Blaine asks, keeping his voice quiet as Taylor settles back into sleep.  “With all the Sondheim you’ve done lately, I would have thought you’d have picked one of those.”</p><p>“I know, right?” Kurt replies.  “I think it started because I had the part about the department store stuck in my head.”</p><p>“<i>First take a deep breath, take it all in.  Feel all the halogens warming your skin,</i>” Blaine sings.  </p><p>“I always loved that song.  I mean, who would have thought there’d be a song about how amazing it feels to walk into the fragrance section of a department store?” Kurt says reverently. </p><p>“Right?”</p><p>“Don’t tease, you know I’m serious about the value of personal service for some things,” Kurt says.  “Websites are good for certain products, but you can’t discover your personal scent on your computer.”</p><p>“Did you know that Harry Gordon Selfridge started putting the perfume counter by the front doors in part to cover up the, um, less pleasant odors outside?”</p><p>Kurt frowns.  “No, but if that’s true, it makes sense.  I figured it was just to entice people into spending money on scent while they were on their way in looking for clothes.”</p><p>“That too.”  Blaine sighs.  “So, what made you think about department stores?  Have you been worrying about holiday shopping?  Because we said we were going to go easy on that this year.”  He inclines his head towards the baby lying between them.  They love their child more than either of them can express, but she is a money pit, and they have had to revise their current budget several times to identify dispensable items. </p><p>“I think it was more that I’m so used to searching the web for deals at night…” Kurt breaks off and glares at Blaine, “and no, I was not online shopping just now.”</p><p>Blaine smirks.  “I know.  Your phone is still on your nightstand.”  For the first few months of parenthood Kurt had spent way too much money keeping himself awake during midnight feedings by scouring the web for deals on fabric and craft supplies.  After a frank review of their credit card bills, Kurt had agreed to put the brakes on his nighttime online shopping sprees.</p><p>Kurt taps his finger against Blaine’s hip.  “I may have purchased a few items yesterday,” he admits, abashed.  “But they were all for Taylor.  Mostly I just send my dad and Carole links.  If we leave them to their own devices who knows what they’ll buy her, and they’re happy to farm out the task to me.”</p><p>They lapse into silence, listening to the even, soft breaths of their little girl, who has finally loosened her grip on the silk-trimmed blanket she can’t bear to be without.</p><p>“I do understand the urge,” Blaine says.  “Like wanting to stop and shop for unnecessary plastic objects…” Blaine says, a snippet of another song passing through his brain, and Kurt looks at him questioningly.  “You know, from Nanci Griffith’s intro to that song, when she talks about the need to go into a Woolworth’s and buy unnecessary plastic objects?”</p><p>Kurt gazes at him, charmed.  “No, I don’t know that one.”</p><p>“It’s called <i>Love at the Five and Dime.</i>”  Blaine hums it for a second, remembering driving in the car with his mom, singing along.  </p><p>“<i>Rita was sixteen years, hazel eyes and chestnut hair.  She made the Woolworth counter shine.  And Eddie was a sweet romancer, and darn good dancer, and they'd waltz the aisles of the five and dime.”</i></p><p>
  <i>”And they'd sing - </i><br/>
<i>"Dance a little closer to me</i><br/>
<i>Dance a little closer now</i><br/>
<i>Dance a little closer tonight</i><br/>
<i>Dance a little closer to me</i><br/>
<i>'cause it's closing time and love's on sale tonight at this five and dime."</i>
</p><p>The melody is soft and sweet, and Blaine does his best to echo the singer’s gentle, swinging style.</p><p>Kurt rubs his thumb along Blaine’s hip.  “That’s really pretty.”</p><p>“I’ll play it for you sometime.  She does this neat thing where she plinks her guitar string to sound like the ‘ding’ of the elevator. I think it would work on the piano.”</p><p>“It’s a nicer shopping song than the <i>Legally Blonde</i> one,” Kurt says.</p><p>“It’s about love, not shopping, really.”</p><p>“So is the <i>Legally Blonde</i> one,” Kurt insists.  “Elle is taking Emmett shopping for clothes so that he has exactly the right look to give him the confidence he needs.  That’s an act of love.”</p><p>“I know.”  Blaine smiles at Kurt, thinking of all the hours they’ve spent selecting outfits, Kurt never failing to offer his opinion on what Blaine should wear for an audition, or an interview, or some other career defining event.  Kurt always does everything he can to help Blaine feel prepared to face the world, and Blaine appreciates it more than he can say.  </p><p>“Anyway, I like the song,” Kurt says.  “Sing some more.”</p><p>Blaine smiles and sings the rest of the Nanci Griffith song.  By the end, the hand Kurt had rested on Blaine’s hip has gotten restless, and is moving enticingly towards Blaine’s ass.</p><p>“Honey?”  Blaine asks, catching Kurt’s eye.  “Is me singing about shopping turning you on?”</p><p>Kurt runs his hand back over Blaine’s hip, then walks his fingers up Blaine’s chest over his pajama shirt, his touch light and teasing.  He catches Blaine’s gaze.  “You should know by now, you singing about anything turns me on.”</p><p>They both look at Taylor, who is sleeping deeply now, her whole body lax.  They obviously can’t get intimate with her lying in between them, but…</p><p>“Wanna go fool around by the Christmas tree?”  Blaine asks, grinning.</p><p>They extricate themselves from the bed carefully, arranging the blankets just the right distance away from and around their daughter, and creep out to the living room.  Kurt takes an afghan off the couch and spreads it on the floor.  They lie down together, gazing at each other under the twinkling lights, until Blaine pulls Kurt into a fervent kiss.  </p><p>At one point they roll a little too close to the tree, and they freeze, giggling, as Kurt re-positions a sparkling ornament so it doesn’t fall on them during an inopportune moment.  And if Blaine has a bit of tinsel in his hair come morning, no one minds a bit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The songs mentioned are Nanci Griffth’s very lovely <i>Love At The Five And Dime,</i> and <i>Take It Like A Man</i> from Legally Blonde.  I really also wanted to work in the Barenaked Ladies ode to shopping, too, (just called <i>Shopping</i>) but it didn’t fit.  Title is from Paul McCartney’s song <i>A Wonderful Christmastime,</i> covered by the Barenaked Ladies on their holiday album (which is great and includes some really fun Hanukkah songs too).</p><p>Note also that Blaine and Kurt are also tired of people asking about their baby’s name, as well as poking their nose into her sleeping habits.  They picked Taylor because it’s gender-neutral and they like it, and not because Blaine knows the words to every Taylor Swift song.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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